Brockport Kindergarten teacher faces child porn charges

A Brockport Kindergarten teacher is facing child porn charges and prosecutors worry there may be more victims in the case.

Thirty-year-old Roland Yockel II, of Hilton, is charged with receipt and distribution of child pornography, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release Tuesday evening.

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Making matters worse, prosecutors say he lived with his parents who provide babysitting services out of their home. Now prosecutors are looking for any other victims in the case. According to the district website, Yockel began working at Ginther Elementary School this year. On top of that, News10NBC has learned that Yockel was a camp counselor in Hamlin.

Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 716-464-5923.

Prosecutors say the investigation began with an inquiry by New Zealand law enforcement officials looking into child porn posted on the app "Chatstep." New Zealand investigators began undercover operations on the chat site. In May and July, they observed a user posting links to suspected child pornography. The IP address for the user traced back to Yockel, investigators say.

While executing a search warrant on Tuesday at Yockel's home on North Avenue -- where his parents and siblings also live -- investigators found DVDs with videos and images of child pornography.

"Based upon his access to children and the nature of the allegations in this case, we believe there is a possibility there are unidentified child victims," writes Kevin Kelly, Special Agent-in-Charge for Homeland Security Investigation Buffalo, which covers our region. "We encourage anyone in the Rochester area who may have information that could be relevant to the case to come forward."

Again, anyone who can provide further information in this investigation is asked to call the HSI Buffalo Office at 716-464-5923.

Yockel faces up to 20 years behind bars if convicted on the charges.

Statement from Brockport CSD:

"Law enforcement has confirmed that on November 21 kindergarten teacher Roland Yockel was charged with possession and distribution of child pornography. We want to assure our parents that we take all staff allegations seriously and remain committed to upholding our core belief of providing a healthy, safe and secure learning environment in the Brockport Central School District. Mr. Yockel was immediately placed on administrative leave and a substitute teacher was secured.

Student safety is our top priority. We have no reason to believe that the arrest has any connection to his employment with the district or that student safety was compromised, however incidents such as this impact the school community and the district has made support available for students, staff and families.

Representatives from Bivona Child Advocacy Center will be on campus today to offer tips and answer questions
regarding how to talk to children about this matter. An informational session will be held for staff first, followed by an informational session for parents from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m at the Ginther School. Counselors will also be available during these sessions, as well as on Monday when students return to school.

We have and will continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement during this investigation."